Mourinho clashes with Pep Guardiola for the second time this season on Wednesday

Mourinho often walked a fine line in the past when things weren’t going right for his team, with his battles against Guardiola in Spain spilling over on several occasions.

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But Xavi has urged The Special One to focus on football and avoid going to war in order to get things back on track at United.

He said: “Sometimes, when things don’t go well for Mourinho, he wants war not football – like when he was at Real Madrid – and I hope we don’t see that again in England.

“When I knew they [Mourinho and Guardiola] would be rival coaches again, I knew it would be good for football. I knew it would be especially good for English football.

“They’re two of the best coaches in the world and their duel can be the best in football. Both coaches are going to want to want to win this game. I don’t believe this is a competition they will not take seriously.